August 2018 Security Patch Released for Samsung Galaxy A5 2016

A new minor Android Nougat software update was officially released for the Samsung Galaxy A5 2016. The firmware is available ‘over the air’ (OTA) and can be received without too much hassle by the users from Netherlands. The update is carrying the firmware build number A510FXXU6CRH1 and unveils the August 2018 Security Patch on the Samsung Galaxy A5 2016. Now, if you continue reading the lines from below you can learn more about this OS improvements, about the conditions in which the OTA can be received and applied and installed on your smartphone and also a dedicated procedure that will help you manually set up the August 2018 Security Patch on the Galaxy A5 2016.

For now, the A510FXXU6CRH1 firmware is rolled out in the Netherlands but it will soon be made available in other markets too. Until then, the OTA can be received only in the already mentioned region and only on the Galaxy A5 2016. Moreover, the Android Nougat notification can be received only if your phone is running on stock Android OS and only if tweaks weren’t applied – for example, if root was ensured you won’t be able to automatically flash the August 2018 Security Patch.

However, the full firmware package, which is also officially available, can be applied regardless on the markets you are using the A5 as long as your device has the version number A510. And the manual update operation can be used on custom ROMs or on tweaked Android systems, which means that in some situations skipping the OTA process is more indicated than waiting for the Nougat notification message. Well, in that case you can use the guidelines explained below where we will see how Odin can be used for completing this manual update procedure.

Odin is an official program developed by Samsung, so you will keep everything safe and secured. Moreover, you will be using the same August 2018 Security patch as the OTA build, so you have nothing to worry about – you won’t have to use third party apps, custom ROMs or other risky software that might trip Samsung KNOX.

The August 2018 Security Patch for the Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 comes with fixes for 11 Samsung Vulnerabilities along with other security improvements that can address general Android Nougat related problems. The software is fully stable, fast and secured – it patches bug fixes and stability improvements so it will grant a smooth Nougat experience even if it won’t introduce new features, apps or capabilities.

Now, if you choose to use Odin for setting up the A510FXXU6CRH1 software keep in mind that recently applied tweaks will be revoked as the UI will be restored back to its factory state – the root access will be revoked, the bootloader relocked, the stock recovery image reinstalled and bloatware reloaded. But, it can be used as general troubleshooting solutions in order to fix software related problems including boot loops, lags, hangs, screen freeze, battery drain, heating problems, signal strength issues, battery drain, total blackouts and more.

Before applying the update steps from below backup your data – a general backup should be now applied as in rare situations you might end up in losing stuffs during the flashing process. So, in order to be 100% sure that everything stays safe and secured, use your favorite backup and restore solutions and save your contacts, call logs, texts, images, videos, audio files, market apps, internet settings, EFS folder, IMEI / NVRAM data, calendar info and so on. On your Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 you can use built-in cloud storage apps, you can sync files with your own Google Account or you can download and set up dedicated backup and restore apps available on Google Play.

You should also prepare a computer or a notebook as it will be required during the August 2018 Security Patch update operation. This computer should run on Windows and you must install your Galaxy A5 2016 drivers there before doing anything else – you can set the right drivers easily by using the Samsung KIES toolkit.

On your smartphone you need to enable Developer Options as from there you can afterwards check the USB Debugging feature. So, first of all, navigate towards About Phone and from there start tapping repeatedly on Built Number. After 7 or 10 taps you should receive the ‘you are a developer’ message. Well, you can now enable USB Debugging from Developer Options by accessing Menu - > Settings.

Charge your smartphone before starting to apply the steps explained below. It is recommended to plug in the charger especially if the power left on your handset is currently lower than 50%. In that case the Android OS can get turned off while Odin is used and then different software related issues might cause malfunctions on your device.

Of course, go ahead and resume the next steps only if you own the Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 with model number A510 – the August 2018 Security Patch is being compatible only with this particular Android based smartphone so try not to mess things up.

Then, power off your smartphone and wait a few moments. Next, once the power off process is completed, enter your Samsung branded device in download mode: press and hold the Power, Volume Down and Home buttons together, for a few seconds.

Now, once the USB connection is ensured, on your computer the Odin program should display the ‘added’ message and its ID:COM field should be turned yellow or blue; if not, there is something wrong and Odin cannot recognize your handset – thus, close Odin, unplug the USB cable, reinstall your phone’s drivers and retry.

Next, if everything works as expected, on the flashing program click on the AP button and afterwards load the Android Nougat based update package that’s located on your computer.

When and if asked, don’t check the Auto Reboot and Re Partition options. Just click on Start when you are ready.

Wait until the flashing operation is being automatically completed.

The August 2018 Security Patch will be successfully installed when you will notice the ‘pass’ message displayed on Odin; at that time the ID:COM field should be turned green.

So, you can now close the flashing program and disconnect your smartphone from your computer.

Perform one last reboot on your Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 and that’s all.

Issues that can happen during the update process and how to fix everything

In some situations the flashing program can stop running right while the update process is being completed. In that case, the operation will get stuck and your phone might be facing a freezing-like state. Well, here is how you can address such problems: on your computer close Odin and end its associated processes (do that from Task Manager – press and hold the Ctrl+Alt+Del keyboard hotkeys); then, remove the USB cable that connects your phone with your computer; force restart your Samsung Galaxy A5; reinstall your phone’s drivers on your computer; repeat the update steps that are explained above.

In other situations, during the last reboot your smartphone might get stuck in a boot loop. Do note that last reboot will be completed slowly and will surely take longer than a regular one. But, a boot loop is a problem, which can be fixed by following: on your Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 enter recovery mode (press and hold the Power, Volume Up and Home buttons together, for a short while); in recovery use Volume rocker keys to scroll up and down and the Power key to select; make a hard reset and clear app data cache by selecting ‘wipe data factory reset’ followed by ‘wipe dalvik cache’; when done, return to main menu of recovery and pick ‘reboot system now’.

There you have it; the August 2018 Security Patch is released for the Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 and can be OTA received or manually installed through Odin as detailed above. Once more, this is not a major update or an OS switch; however it’s a great way to make sure that your online profile and activity are secured and that you can always enjoy a stable and a smooth Android experience. You can tell us how this update runs on your device by using the comments field available below. There you can also share your update experience with us or you can ask for further help – in that case try to explain in detail your problems as based on the info you provide we will then try to assist you with the right solutions.

Stay close for further update opportunities available for your Galaxy A5 2016. Also, for more tips, tricks and Android step by step guides check out our ‘how to’ section. Enjoy.